In Dreams I Dance With You
by Rainbow Moonshine
Summary: "You wouldn't rather have one person you can talk to? Someone who knows you so well they don't judge or mind when you do something bad or embarrassing?"..."I did"


Title:In Dreams I Dance With You  
Rating: T  
Characters: Ianto, Jack, Tosh,  
Spoilers: Vague mentions of Cyberwoman and Greeks Bearing Gifts  
Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood or anything else I may have mentioned.  
Summary: "You wouldn't rather have one person to talk to? Someone who doesn't judge when you do something bad or embarrassing?"..."I did"

~.::.~

"Jack, something Mary said, probably the only honest thing she ever did say; I asked her why she gave it to me. And she said, 'After awhile it gets to you. It changes how you see people.'" Toshiko looked at Jack expectantly and Jack put a hand on her knee. "How can I live with it?"

"There are some things we're not supposed to know." Toshiko nodded. "You got a snapshot- nothing more."

"I don't mean Gwen and Ianto and Owen. I mean...the whole world." Jack stood up and looked back down at Tosh. Smiling, he smoothed back her hair. She shook her head. She tried telling him it didn't matter, but he knew better. He wiped a tear away from her cheek before turning and walking away.

"Jack?" Toshiko called. He turned again, eyebrows raised, ready to answer her questions.

"Talk to Ianto, would you? He needs someone."

"I'm probably not the one he wants, though." Toshiko added an uncharacteristic, "please?" and Jack could not help but oblige.

~.::.~

Ianto sat on his ragged old couch, watched his tiny television, and drank warm beer. He did not think it to be a good time to stay all night at the hub, what with all that happened. He'd wanted to be there, it was so much_ easier_ to be there. But alas, he opted for going back to his flat and getting drunk with Bond in the background. He didn't expect anybody to ring the doorbell, so he jumped slightly when it did.

He slowly got off the couch and answered the door, surprised to find Captain Jack Harkness standing on the other side of the door, holding a brown box labeled, 'Jubilee's'. As Ianto opened the door, Jack gave a dazzling smile, and lifted the box "pizza?"

"What are you doing here, sir?" Ianto ignored the offer. He had not eaten much- especially meat- since the cannibal incident.

"I'm making sure my team eats." Jack's smile held up, but Ianto was frowning. He hadn't been planning company, so his flat was a mess. "Can I come in?" Without waiting for an answer, Jack walked into the flat. "Wow, your immaculate cleaning skills do not translate well." Jack was referring to the scattered clothing and food boxes strewn across the living room. Plates were stacked in the sink and the garbage can was nearly filled to the top. The only thing that was organized was the largely alphabetized DVD collection in the corner.

"I don't have time, nor do I mind it." Still, Ianto felt Jack judging him. He picked up a t-shirt that hung on a chair, as if that made a difference in the mess.

"I would not know." Jack placed the pizza on a cleaner area of the kitchen counter. "You don't tell me anything."

"Maybe I prefer it that way." Ianto scratched his neck, all the while pulling on the end of his t-shirt with the other hand. He wasn't trying to be obvious, but he did want Jack to ge the hint.

"You wouldn't rather have one person you can talk to? Someone who knows you so well they don't judge or mind when you do something bad or embarrassing?" Jack never faced Ianto, but opened the box and took out a slice.

The silence Jack could handle. The silence meant that Ianto was thinking about what he said and maybe he would eventually change his mind. But his answer, Jack could not handle. "I did." The captain turned around, over coming his fear of looking Ianto in the eyes, and did so. They were so tragic and bitter as if there was nothing in the world that would turn his frown upside down.

"Well, I- I'm not sure when you willll start to feel better, but you will. I'm sure of it." Jack tried to put his hand on Ianto's shoulder, but Ianto rejected the gesture like his hand was on fire. "Okay, so Tosh asked me to check up on you and I did. So now I'll leave."

"Yeah, thanks." Jack made it to the door when Ianto's voice stopped him. "You're sure?" Jack looked back; Ianto was glaring in the opposite direction, but the question was obviously directed at him.

"Positive." Ianto turned around. His baby blues burned holes into Jack's, tearing apart what the captain had left of his hope for the younger man.

"Good."


End file.
